If there wasn’t enough on the line with Marysville’s operating levy attempt in November, the district’s future is now also tied to a second issue on that same ballot.
The Marysville Board of Education learned Thursday night that the fate of the Union County Board of Developmental Disabilities (UCBDD) levy in November could have broad financial implications to the district, as the two entities partner to educate pre-school age special needs students.
If the UCBDD levy fails, the Marysville District could be forced to provide millions of dollars of additional services.
Many Marysville parents might not be aware the district has a preschool program. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ensures that students with any disability are provided with a public education which meets their non-traditional needs. The act mandates that school districts must provide preschool services to children with special needs, while traditional students begin their mandated public education with kindergarten.
Marysville Director of Student Services Kim Jude explained to the board that children ages 3-21 are guaranteed special education related services through public schools.
Jude said when youngsters are determined to have special needs, such as speech or hearing issues, physical limitations or intellectual disabilities, the district is responsible for providing those programs.
The district has partnered with the UCBDD to provide services through the local Harold Lewis Center. She explained that Harold Lewis is a countywide facility, meaning it is also responsible for student in the Fairbanks and North Union districts. About 130 students are served at that facility.
Jude explained that Marysville has been seeing expanding numbers of preschool-age special needs students over the past four years. She said some of the uptick can be attributed to population growth, but also parents are becoming more aware of early signs of development problems causing them to undergo evaluations.
Over the last four years the number of special needs preschoolers has grown by more than 50, from 130 in the 20/21 school year to 185 last year.
“I’m exhausted just looking at it,” Jude said of the numbers.
This ballooning enrollment has taken a toll on Harold Lewis, as officials informed Marysville administrators that they were out of space and the district would need to help.
After being informed that Harold Lewis was out of space in December of 2022, school officials had to scramble to create the district’s own preschool program to help with overflow students early in 2023. The district applied for a preschool license, ordered classroom materials and hired two teachers and two aides in order to house two classes of preschoolers in February of 2023.
The district also set up a partnered operation that allows traditional students to participate in district preschool under a peer model program. Traditional students pay $150 per month for the program and the enrollment is determined by the number of special needs students in the program. The idea is that special needs students benefit from being educated alongside peers who do not require special services.
With continued enrollment gains into 23/24, the district expanded to four classrooms of preschool, housed in Mill Valley and Navin elementaries, which came with increased staffing including two additional classroom teachers, a speech therapist, occupational therapist and part-time physical therapist and psychologist.
Despite the quick set-up, Mill Valley was rated as a five-star operation by the Ohio Department of Education and Job and Family Services, while Navin Elementary was rated at four stars. Next year, all district preschool operations will be housed at Navin.
But such success comes with a cost. Jude explained that despite being federally mandated and stringently regulated by the state, the government does not even fund 50% of the operation.
Governmental sources chip in about $900,000 to the program, of which only $18,000 comes from federal sources. There are some Medicaid reimbursements added into the mix, but Jude estimated that the local district was left to cover about $1.2 to $1.5 million per year.
Money aside, space is getting tight in the district and could get tighter. There is available space at Raymond Elementary but transportation concerns factor into operating preschool classes at the outlying building.
But space could be the least of the district’s worries as it could stand to take on millions of dollars in costs, depending on the result of the UCBDD levy in November. The UCBDD is asking voters to approved a seven-year, 1.1-mill levy that would generate an additional $3 million annually to help with expanding costs.
Marysville Superintendent Diane Allen said UCBDD Superintendent Kara Brown reached out to her recently saying that if her organization’s levy is not successful, the contingency plan to save costs would impact Harold Lewis’ preschool operation. The impact to Marysville could be millions of dollars annually.
“Taking on those students and that staff would be a potential of about a $2.5-million increase, that we simply haven’t been planning for at this point,” Allen said.
And that revelation comes as district prepares to create its own contingency plan to shave costs should its own 5.5-mill levy fail in November.